Elevator outage leaves courthouse crowds in the cold

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

An elevator outage at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center led to uncomfortably long lines for visitors Tuesday morning.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

An elevator outage at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center led to uncomfortably long lines for visitors Tuesday morning.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

An elevator outage at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center led to uncomfortably long lines for visitors Tuesday morning.

Photo By Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

All but one elevator going to floors 2-10 at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center were out Tuesday morning, causing major backups and long lines as hundreds wait.

Only two elevators were working Tuesday morning at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center on Franklin, leaving hundreds of people standing out in near-freezing temperatures.

Workers, witnesses and lawyers alike stood shivering on what is the coldest day in Houston for many years. Extra Harris County Constable Office Precinct 1 officials were on hand for crowd control.

All the elevators were finally fully operational just after 11 a.m.

Harris County Pct. 1 Chief Deputy J.C. Mosier said Tuesday morning that there were only two out of the 12 elevators in operation and that people were being asked to use stairs if they could.

He felt for the people left waiting outside in the cold.

"Especially on a day when it is like this, it's horrible," Mosier said.

He said that they ordered up a handful of extra constables to work the crowd Tuesday morning.

Harris County officials had no word on why the elevators were not in service. Building security staff said they had heard of a false fire alarm just after 7 a.m., which could have called for a reset of the elevators.

Just before 10 a.m., Angel Mata, 28, and a friend said they had been waiting outside for close to two hours to get inside and take care of business.

"I could really use a heater right now," he said, digging deeper into his coat.

Rosie, in her 70s, wasn't in line yet. She was standing by, waiting for the line on the west side of the courthouse to subside.

Adding to the elevator woes was the security checkpoint inside the courthouse. It took longer for people to get through the line with the added layers of clothing needing to be removed before they could make it through the metal detectors.

Temperatures plunged into the teens in some areas, according to the National Weather Service, and icy roads caused early morning accidents.

It's the second day of frigid temperatures across the country as the so called "Polar Vortex" grips the nation.

Chicago posted a temperature of 16 below zero and Fort Wayne, Ind., was at 13-below, closing schools and businesses.

In Washington, D.C., commuters bundled up and made the trek to work.

"I could barely walk," it was so cold, Lynn Palmer of Alexandria, Va., told The Associated Press.